Good video on insulin injecting technique

[Choo]

I've been struggling for the past three weeks to give my cat, Bangkok, pain free injections. A few times, I actually heard him audibly gasp when the needle went in or when I depressed the plunger. I heard something that sounded like OH! I cannot begin to tell you how awful I felt. Every time I heard that, a part of me would die a little and I began to fear giving him shots. I'm still extremely stressed about giving shots.

This afternoon, I found a very good video on how to give insulin shots. I don't particularly like how the veterinarian in the video is treating the cat, nor do I like his suggestion of feeding only prescription diets but I did learn (I think!) a better technique so I thought I'd post it here, for anyone else who has problems with injections like I do.

The difference between the way this veterinarian does it and how I used to do it is how big a wad of skin he grabbed from the collar or shoulder area. I never used to grab this much skin so I think I may have injected, inadvertently, into the muscle and that's why my poor baby cried. I also used a magnifying glass to look at the needle and make sure the pointy tip is up when I'm about to inject.

 

[jtrezzo]

Stabbing her 5 times in a row seemed kind of unnecessary, but I guess he proved his point... Video was good otherwise and was exactly how my vet showed me.

 

[Cat Ma]

@Choo, Glad this video is helping you. It does get easier! While it seems as if the vet in the video has too firm of a grasp on the cat, the cat, as we can see, isn't in any distress. I never had to pull CJ's nape up that high to inject insulin. A gentle "pinch" was all that was needed.

 

[Critter Mom]

The kitty in the video was super relaxed. One thing that the vet didn't cover is what to do if the cat is tense when anticipating an injection. Doing something to relax and soothe the cat - brushing, stroking, talking positively and soothingly - can help reduce bodily tension and make drawing up the tent easier.

I winced every time he poked that poor little kitty. I know that the cat didn't look bothered but I still felt sorry for it.


Mogs
.